High School Student Leaders

Interested in being a High School Student Leader at ODS this year?  Fill out the interest form to let us know!

Apply to be a High School Leader

High School Leaders at Outdoor School are role model, teachers, motivators, and caregivers to the students who attend.  Our program relies on the skills, enthusiasm and dedication that High School Leaders bring to Outdoor School.  We hope that the experience of volunteering at ODS (Outdoor School) is one that helps you grow as an individual and gain new skills and confidence.  We are here to help you achieve that!

WHAT IS OUTDOOR SCHOOL

Outdoor School is an overnight field trip for 5th and 6th graders — cabins, campfire, recreation, and four hands-on field studies in the woods. It runs at Camp Myrtlewood, near Myrtle Point. High school students have been helping run it in Oregon for over sixty years, and over half of Oregon's outdoor schools depend on high school leaders to operate.

IT COSTS NOTHING

There is no fee to be a Student Leader. Meals, lodging, and a bed in a cabin are covered for the whole week. If you're missing something on the packing list — boots, a rain jacket, a sleeping bag — we lend it to you. Nobody should skip Outdoor School over gear.

Getting here is arranged case by case. Sometimes the school bus will take Student Leaders, sometimes a family drives, and sometimes we can arrange a ride from Grants Pass. Whoever drives you out or picks you up can be offered a $50 gas card. Tell us what works and we'll sort it out.

WHAT YOU ACTUALLY DO

You are staff for the week, not an older camper. Depending on the track you're on, you'll either lead a cabin group or work alongside a Field Instructor at a field study station.

IN THE CABIN

You sit with a cabin group at meals, lead games and activities during cabin time, and help them settle at night. Adult chaperones supervise camper cabins overnight, not you.

ON FIELD STUDY

You help run a station alongside a Field Instructor: carrying materials, keeping the group together, co-leading the learning. You are not teaching on your own.

AT CAMPFIRE

You lead songs and skits, and you're the one who makes it safe to be enthusiastic in front of other people.

ALL WEEK

You're the person a homesick eleven-year-old comes to first. That's the part nobody expects, and everybody remembers.

WHAT IS OUTDOOR SCHOOL?

High School Leaders at Outdoor School are role model, teachers, motivators, and caregivers to the students who attend.  Our program relies on the skills, enthusiasm and dedication that High School Leaders bring to Outdoor School.  We hope that the experience of volunteering at ODS (Outdoor School) is one that helps you grow as an individual and gain new skills and confidence.  We are here to help you achieve that!

  • Usually, yes. Tell us who you want to go with and when you're all free, and we'll do our best. Say it early — weeks fill up.

  • No. We'll teach you what you need. You're helping a Field Instructor run a station, not teaching on your own.

  • Yes, but there's no cell service at camp. Your phone is never out in front of campers — that's the one hard rule. You can use it in the Outdoor School office during breaks and in the evening, and there's high-speed internet there, so you can do homework.

  • It's yours to catch up on, and every teacher signs off before you come. There's time in the evenings, and the office has internet.

  • In a cabin with other Student Leaders. Camper cabins are supervised overnight by adult chaperones, not by you.

  • No — this is a volunteer role, and there's no cost to you either. Whoever drives you out or picks you up can have a $50 gas card, and you get documented volunteer hours.

  • Case by case. Sometimes the school bus takes Student Leaders, sometimes a family drives, sometimes we arrange a ride from Grants Pass. Tell Carson what works for you.

  • Most Student Leaders haven't. That's what the workshop is for. The staff expect to teach you, and the returning Student Leaders remember being new.

  • A slice of branch with your Outdoor School name on it, worn on a cord. Everyone at camp goes by a nature name for the week — staff included. Pick something a sixth grader can pronounce and will remember.

  • Yes, and we hope you will. Returning Student Leaders get first pick of names and weeks, and the new ones learn the job by watching you.

Camp Myrtlewood has become a vibrant community hub, welcoming over 2,000 visitors each year. People come to the camp seeking a deeper connection with nature and spirituality. It offers a variety of programs and activities that align with its mission of promoting spiritual growth, ecological stewardship, and community building.

The history of Camp Myrtlewood is a testament to the lasting impact that a commitment to certain values and the natural environment can have on individuals and communities. It continues to be a place where people can find peace, learn about the environment, and grow in their faith and character.